In terms of claiming special rights and status, the tribal people of Meghalaya never fail to assert their unique identity, culture, tradition et al. Chief among these claims is the common ancestry, lineage, a common vision and above all common ownership of resources. A tribe as understood by social anthropologists is a social division in a traditional society consisting of families linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect. A tribe possesses certain qualities and characteristics that make it a unique cultural, social, and political entity. In a tribal society the self is subsumed by the collective and the collective good is what drives the tribal ethos. Is this a true representation of the tribe today? Apart from some primitive tribes in Orissa, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh Tamil Nadu etc., the hill tribes of North East India can hardly be called primitive or backward. In fact, some among the tribes are better placed than most non-tribes in wealth ranking and ownership of private property. Should such privileged tribals be exempted from payment of income tax or wealth tax?
Tribes also refer to themselves as indigenous people or the first settlers in any country or region of a country. The Khasi-Pnar people claim ancestry from the Austro-Asiatic Mon Khmer race while the Garo, Rabha, Koch, Hajong etc., are of Tibeto-Burman descent. While the clan and community ownership of land and other resources appears to be much more robust among the tribes of Tibeto-Burman descent the same is not the case with the Khasi, Pnar, Bhoi, War etc., where land which was earlier a community-owned entity is now rapidly being converted into private property. Today the situation is such that the custodians of community and clan lands are the ones negotiating with individuals who have the buying power. These custodians make deals and are ready to part off with community land and forests that include catchments. The private owners of such forests then clear off all the trees and begin their mining or quarrying enterprise often without any permission from any authority.
Such individuals believe that once they have bought the land from the Syiems/Myntris/ Rangbah Shnong etc,. they have full rights to use the land for whatever purpose they choose. Today while governments both state and central clamour about climate change and spell out their mission on how to save the environment from further devastation, such announcements are not matched by action. Forests are denuded rampantly and no one really cares. Villagers believe they are powerless to speak on such issues and remain silent because the new land owners are not part of their village but have come from the city. The truth is that the tribal worldview today has changed irreversibly and so has the tribal. For how long can this tribal entity claim uniqueness when it has adapted all the characteristics of the non-tribe and all but lost its unique identity. Times to take stock of things! Much has changed and so has the tribe. Only costumes, language, dance and song are not the legal tender to being tribal.
